tapioca

noun

tap·​i·​o·​ca ˌta-pē-ˈō-kə 

1

: a usually granular preparation of cassava starch used especially in puddings and as a thickening in liquid food

also : a dish (such as pudding) containing tapioca

2

: cassava

Examples of tapioca in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The made- ahead spiced fruit is delicious served atop tapioca pudding or yogurt, but my favorite is on a generous scoop of ice cream. —Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 22 Oct. 2024

But popping boba, a type of topping that bursts with fruit juice when it’s squeezed, has already been a popular choice on traditional Asian bubble tea menus for years — even if boba is often associated with squishy tapioca pearls. —Angela Yang, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2024

Starch and its derivatives, made from wheat, maize, potatoes and tapioca, are used in products from ice cream to cosmetics, paints, pills and cardboard due to their sweetening, thickening and texturizing properties. —Sybille De La Hamaide, Reuters, 26 Sep. 2024

In East Asia, though, the most influential formulation of milk tea—a mélange of black tea and creamer, accompanied by tapioca pearls—originated in Taiwan in the eighties, before travelling to the mainland just as the Chinese economy was rising. —Han Zhang, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese, from Tupi tɨpɨʔóka

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tapioca

noun

tap·​i·​o·​ca ˌtap-ē-ˈō-kə 

: grains or flakes of starch from the cassava root that are used especially in puddings and as a thickening in liquid foods

also : a food (as pudding) that contains tapioca